Apparatus for cutting swinging bevels



2 sheets-sheet 1' June 8, 1937. J. D. MCKIERNAN APARATUS FOR CUTTING SWINGING BEVELS Filed Aug. 1e, 1935 llullllllll ||||||||||l.(||l\\ ww C.

June 8, 1937. J. D. MCKIERNAN 2,082,957

\ APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SWINGING BEVELS 4 Filed Aug. 1e, .1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 K 'ATTORINEY Patented June 8, 1937V vUNTTED STATE ArrAaATUs Fono 'isa UTTING SWINGING VELS l James D. McKiernan, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 16, 1935, Serial No. 36,506

(Cl. 26S-23) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to oxygencutting apparatus, and to apparatus for connecting a cut ting torch with the means for supporting it over the surface of the work. Although primarily intended for self-propelled torch carriages with wheels running on the work or other surface, the invention is not limited tosuch carriages and ln its broader aspectsV relatesto anykind of supporting means for holding the torch while effecting relative movement of' the torch and work. 1

It is an object of this invention to provide means for holding a torch in position to make vertical or bevel-edge cuts and for shifting the torch during the cutting operation to produce a cut having a swinging bevel", that is, a progressive change in the angle of the'edge face with respect to the surface ofthe work. Such a change in the slope of a torch does not necessarily make the edge cut a .warped surface, because the change in the position of the torch may be necessary in order to counteract a change in the slope of the surface of thework. For example, when cutting hatchways in the deck of a ship, it is necessary to change progressively the slope of the torch with respect to the deck in order to make the-sides of the hatchway actually vertical at all points.

Another object of the invention is to provide a torch holder which can be conveniently adjusted to'cut diierent bevels without ,requiring a change in the .position of the torch-holder with respect to itssupporting means. In utilizing this feature of the invention the torch-holder face. The driving wheel Il slopes outward toward the bottom and is dished to enable the torch I5 to be located close to the point of traction of the carriage in order to avoid large variations in torch speed when the carriage makes sharp turns and in order -to keep the path of the torch as nearly similar as possible to the path of the traction wheel. On straight-line work, or curves where the template or pattern has been designed for a certain spacing of the torch and driving wheel, it is. of no advantageto locate the torch close to the point of traction, and the torch I5 is not shown adjusted for such work in the drawings.l

The idler wheel I2 turns about an axis which is xed with respect to the carriage b ut in the 'same plane with the axis of rotation and point may be adjusted-.before starting the cut and the bevel or vertical edge cut by the torch kept the same during the cut. Other-objects, features andadvantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the A hereof:

specication proceeds.

' In the accompanying drawings, forming part Fig. -I is an end elevation of a portable torch carriage equipped with apparatus Afor cutting;

swinging bevels in accordance with this invention; 1

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, on a slightly reduced scale, of the structure shown in Fig. 1, with the slide adjusting, shaft shown in section andthe torch removed: and y Fig. 3 is a' sectional view, on theline 3-3 of Fig. 1.

A self-propelled torch carriage ,IIihas a driving' whel II and idler wheels I2 and I3 for stably supporting it on the work I4 or other sur- 'I'he invention is not of traction of the driving wheel II so that the idler-wheel I2 does not interfere with the free turning movement of the carriage III. The idler wheel I3 which supports the rearward end of the carriage is a caster wheel and swivels freely to permit the carriage to be turned in any direction.

The torch carriage IIJ is driven by a motor Il. This motor drives a bevel gear I8 through reductiongearing I9, and the gear I8 meshes with a gear 20 secured to the axle of, or directly to, the traction wheel II. The speed of the motor I1 is controlled by a governor 22.

limited to any particular type of torch support, and in so far as the broader aspects of the invention are concerned the carriage shown in the .drawings is representative of means for supporting a torch for relative movement with respect to the work.

,A frame 25 is fastened to the top of4 the` carriage II) near the forward end and extends for some distance beyond the driving wheel side of the carriage. An upstanding portion of the carriage or for aid in steering it.

A dovetail bearing 28 along the back of the,

frame 25 supports a slide 29. A rack 30 is fastened to the slide 29 and meshes with a pinion 3| xed on a shaft 32.- The lower end of the shaft 32 is journaled in the frame 25. and the upper portion of this shaft extends through a bearing inga bracket 34 fastened to the frame 25 by screws 35. A handle 31 connected to the top of the shaft 32 isused to turn the shaft 32 and pinion 3| when the slide 29 is to-be moved along the dovetailbearing 28.

A torch-holder 40 is supported by the slide 23 on afdovetail bearing 4I. 'Ihis bearing 4I is curved inv a vertical plane, `as shown in Fig. 1, about a point 43 on the surface of the work i4. The torch-holder has a complementary bearing slidable along the arcuate bearing 4l.

The rearward part of the torch-holder 40 is a split clamp 45, and grips the body of the torch tion because unbalanced weight of the torch cannot rotate the worm, and the inclination of the torch can not change without rotating the worm. Bearings 49 and 50, which are part of the frame 25, support the shaft 48, and collars 5l and 52 at the opposite ends of the shaft hold it against endwise movement. There is a handle or knob 54 connected with one end of the shaft 48 for turning it to rotate the worm 41 and cause it to shift the torch-holder to change the angle of the torch with respect to the work.

' The dot-and-dash lines on either side of the torch l5 in Fig. 1 indicate the position of the center line of the torch when tipped to its limit of movement on both sides of the vertical. A scale on the back face of the slide 29 is graduated for use with the side edges 56 of the torch-holder as indicators to designate the angle of inclination of the torch for all positions of the torch-holder.`

As the carriage moves along the work or other supporting surface, the attendant controls theangle of the bevel cut by turning the knob 54 to rotate the worm 41 and operate the gear segment 48 to alter the inclination of the torch. The worm gearing between the knob 54 and torchholder gives the attendant a large' mechanical advantage so that a substantial movement of the knob moves the torch-holder very little. 'I'his makes possible v ery accurate adjustment of the position of the torch-holder. f

The illustrated embodiment of the invention will cut bevels of any slope between fifteen degrees inclination to therlght or left, and zero inclination or vertical wall cuts.

The invention is not limited to any particular 7 range of angles or type of torch carriage, and

various changes' and modications may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the claims. l

I claim:

l l. Metal cutting apparatus including a lcarriage with a plurality of wheels for -stably supporting it'on the surface of the work, a torchholder snpportedby the carriage, an oxygen cutting torch 'in' said, holder, a handle, and mechanism operated by said .handle for producing movement of the .torch-holder with respect to the carriage, said mechanism including means to prevent its operation by the weight of the torch or holder and being constructed and arranged to change the inclination of the torch while it remains directed at substantially the same point on the work.

2. A machine for cutting swinging bevels comprising a torch-holder, a support for moving 4the torch-holder including a carriage with a plurality of wheels stably supporting it on the surface of thework, andl manually operable means forcausingf the linclination of the torch-holder to change laterally of the directiony of movement -of the-carriage and about a center substantially on the surface of the work while -a torch carried in said holder is making a cut whereby the angle of the sides of the cut with respect to the surface of the work varies along the length of the cut.

3. The combination wit a self-propelled torch carriage having wheels fo supporting it on the surface of the work, of a torch-holder connected with the carriage, and a device operable during a cutting operation to cause the torch' to tilt laterally to change the angle of the cut with rei spect to the surface of the work while maintaining the lateral spacing of the cut from the carriage substantially unchanged.

4. Metal cutting apparatus comprising a selfpropelled torch carriage having Wheels for supporting it on the Work or other surface, including a single driving wheel, a cutting torch, a holder for supporting the torch from the carriage in a position with the torch tip near the driving wheel, means for moving the torch-holder to shift the torch closer to or further from the driving Wheel, and other means for tilting the torchholder to change the inclination of the torch,

laterally of the direction of travel of the carriage, said other means including a bearing having a, center of curvature adjacent the tip of the torch so that the tip end remains at a substantially constant distance from the driving wheel during changes in the lateral inclination of the torch.

' 5. Apparatus for cutting swinging bevels including a carriage with a plurality of wheels for stably supporting it on the surface of the work, atorch-holder, aframe for connecting the torchholder with the carriage, a bearing surface bctween the torch-holder and frame curved in a movement of the carriage and about a center close to the surfaceof the work, and adjustment means for causing a change in the position of the torch-holder along said bearing while the carriage is moving across the -surface of thework.

6. Apparatus for cutting swinging bevels including a torch-holder, a frame for connecting the torch-holder with a support, an arcuate bear- Aing surface on the frame having a curvature in a substantially vertical plane about a point cor.-`

responding approximately with the level of the work, a, complementary bearing surface on the torch-holder slidable along the bearing surface on the frame, a handle for sliding the torchholder along said bearing surface on the frame. and motion transmitting connections between the handle and the holder, said connections including irreversible gearing whereby thetorchholder is held inset positions, and accurate adjustments of the inclination of the torch-holder can beeifected I .7. Torch cutting apparatus including in com.-

bination a support movable over the surface of the work, a frame slidable along said supporta torch-holder connected with the frame and movable with respect to the frame on a curved bearing having acenter of curvature substantially .I

on the surface of the work, a. worm-wheel segment connected with the torch-holder andhav- -ing the center lof the segment substantially cothe'work.- a frame carried by said support, rack and pinion mechanism for moving the frame 35l plane extending laterally of the direction of anysubstantial change in the location of the point at which a cutting jet from the `torch strikesL the work, a worm wheel segment curved about. substantially the same center as the arcuate bearing, a shaft journaled in said support,

a worm xed on the shaft in' position to mesh with the worm wheel segment, and manually operated means for turning the shaft to operate the worm gearing and change the inclination of thetorch-holder and the torch carried: by said holder while saidsupport moves over the surface of the work whereby the bevel-edge cut by the torch changes its angle with the surface of the work progressively along the length of the cut.

JAMES-D. MCKIERNAN. 

